The Breakaway Tour

Turning FIFA World Cup 2026™ sponsorship into unforgettable fan experiences

As the Official Payment Technology Partner and Official Bank of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Visa and Bank of America set out to create something bigger than sponsorship. The Breakaway Tour transformed 11 matches into a series of immersive fan experiences, bringing together live match screenings and headline musical performances. By blending the global excitement of the tournament with the culture of each host city, the tour gave fans a new way to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event together.

The FIFA World Cup is one of the world’s biggest sporting stages, but sponsorship alone isn’t enough to build lasting brand affinity. Visa and Bank of America wanted to create meaningful moments that connected with a younger generation of fans beyond the stadium, transforming their FIFA World Cup 2026™ partnership into experiences people could actively participate in. The challenge was to create something scalable across the United States while feeling authentic to each local community.

Bringing the World Cup home

The Breakaway Tour carried the excitement of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ across all 11 U.S. host cities, creating premium watch party experiences that allowed fans to celebrate every match together, in the unique setting of iconic music venues. We were in LA for the USMNT’s opening game and in NYC for the final, visiting all the US host cities in between.

More than a watch party

The Breakaway Tour became a destination where soccer, music and culture converged. By pairing every match with an intimate live performance from a headlining artist, fans experienced something unavailable anywhere else, turning each stop into an event worth planning around rather than simply a place to watch the game. Alongside the headline acts, soccer podcasters The Cooligans provided live analysis and entertainment, combining their fresh perspective on the tournament with a series of fun and interactive games hosted live on stage.

Clean sheets

A ‘clean sheet’ is when a team goes a whole match without conceding a goal. The phrase can be traced back to newspaper reporters in the 1930s. If a team didn’t score, then the ‘sheet’ of paper that detailed goals conceded was blank, or ‘clean’. So it had nothing to do with laundry, until now! Our playful activation gave guests 60 seconds to kick as many balls through our laundrette inspired targets. LED screens gave instant feedback, positive and negative, as players attempted to get on the leaderboard and win exclusive prizes.

Global tournament with local character.

While every stop shared a consistent brand experience, each event was rooted in its host city. Local venues, regional food and beverage offerings, hometown entertainment and city-specific programming ensured every stop felt authentic to its community while remaining unmistakably part of one national tour.

For the audience

The Breakaway Tour gave more than 24,000 fans access to a premium FIFA World Cup 2026™ experience beyond the stadium, combining soccer, live music and entertainment into unforgettable celebrations across 11 U.S. cities.

For the brand

Visa and Bank of America transformed a global sponsorship into a nationwide experiential platform, creating meaningful engagements with consumers across 11 markets.